The invention relates to a seat assembly for a land vehicle, sea vessel, or aircraft.
Such a seat assembly forms part of the state of the art within the scope of DE 103 41 483 B3. Firstly, it includes harnesses known from motor vehicles consisting of shoulder and pelvic belts which can be interconnected in a central belt lock. The shoulder and pelvic belts are connected to obliquely-extending longitudinal belts, which, at their lower ends, are coupled by a belt loop passing underneath the buttocks of a user. In addition, in the lower and upper region of the longitudinal belts two back belts are located connecting the longitudinal belts. The upper ends of the longitudinal belts are connected to belt retractors. From the lower ends of the longitudinal belts retaining belts extend obliquely forwardly, viewed in the direction of movement of the vehicle, terminating likewise at belt retractors. The belt loop passing underneath the buttocks of a user is likewise connected to a belt retractor by a retaining belt extending downwardly. Furthermore, a retaining belt extends rearwardly between the upper back belt towards a further belt retractor.
All belt retractors are coupled via control lines to a control box comprising a control lever. Via the control lever the user can set up a free-running state allowing a free belt strap extension and free belt strap retraction, a complete locking state of all belt retractors both against belt strap extension as well as belt strap retraction as well as a locking state of the belt retractors against belt strap extension with free belt strap retraction.
The known seat assembly thus only allows a level adjustment of the belt loop passing underneath the buttocks. Apart from the actual harness, it furthermore requires altogether at least six further belt straps in order to tighten the seat assembly in a vehicle reasonably firmly. In addition, the belt straps require considerable pre-tensioning in order to avoid a rocking motion. However, this state of affairs is in conflict with an individual, constantly available, user-friendly adjustment. Moreover, the belt straps required for the seat assembly are relatively wide and, in many applications, obstruct the view onto operating and display devices in the respective vehicle. Finally, practice has shown that the known fully-textile seat assembly proves very uncomfortable after prolonged use and may, in particular, result in strangulations at the lower extremities of a user.
A textile safety seat for vehicles, in particular in aviation and navigation, is known from DE 43 03 719 A1 which comprises a seat surface, back and side members as well as a safety belt for securing the passengers to be transported. The safety seat is designed as a textile cover encompassing the body of the passenger at the back and on the sides to above head level and includes an entrance, the cover being adapted to be accommodated above and underneath by fastening belts fixed thereon between fastening points, provided on the floor and in the ceiling region of the vehicle in fixed relationship with the vehicle.
From EP 1 398 205 A2 a safety seat is known which can be fitted between the floor and ceiling region of a land vehicle, aircraft or sea vessel by tensioning belts provided above and beneath the seat. The safety harness consists of two pelvic belts as well as two shoulder belts extending from the pelvic belts, and an actuating means in the extension region of the shoulder belts, guided under the seat part towards the entrance region of the seat part. Between each of the shoulder belts and the front tensioning belts a tensioning belt is fitted in resilient manner. This serves to enhance the freedom of movement of the passenger and, in particular, to simplify fastening and unfastening the safety harness.
A further seat assembly forms the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,818 B2. The latter provides fitting a seat with a rigid frame in an armored vehicle, the said frame being completely decoupled from the vehicle floor, so that in the event of a land mine exploding underneath the vehicle, the forces are not directly transmitted from the vehicle floor to the seat.
A further embodiment of a suspended seat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,143 A. It is represented by a seat assembly which is fitted both to the floor as well as in the ceiling region by a plurality of tensioning belts.